KARACHI, Oct 31 (APP):Federal Minister for Interior, Planning and Development, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday emphasized that
instead of remaining glued to one political party, the people of Sindh
should be rationale and make the best use of their votes for their
better future and that of Sindh and the country.
” I request the people of Sindh to look for a better option,
instead of putting yours eggs in the same nest since long, he said
while speaking at the launch of a book written by Senior Vice
President of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz from Sindh and once a
nationalist leader Shah Muhammad Shah here at Arts Council of
Pakistan.
The Sindhi version book titled ” Story of Uneven Journey ” is
the auto-biography of Shah Muhammad Shah who has shared his
experiences from his student politics to the main stream politics.
Most of his life time, Shah had remained in the politics of
resistance like Anti One Unit Front and Movement of Restoration of
Democracy (MRD). He remained in jails for many years under all
dictators’ rule.
Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, who is also Acting Central Secretary General of PML-N, stressed that all the provinces should be engaged in
cut-throat competition in the social and economic development of their people and try to take lead.
” After getting autonomy under 18th amendment, I fear, if one
province makes a lot of progress on economic and social fronts, it
would create sense of deprivation among the people of other provinces
which would be not good for the national harmony. Every province has
to deliver,” he articulated.
After 18th amendment, he argued, the responsibilities of the
provincial governments had increased ; along with enhanced authority
to the resources and more share from the federal divisible pool of
resources. Now, the Federal Government had very limited role in the
provinces’ affairs.
However, he added, PML-Nawaz government at the center had
extended maximum support to the provincial governments including those
of Sindh and Balochistan.
In Sindh, it had given many mega development projects. Coal
Mining and Power projects in Thar, Construction of Keti Bandar and
Karachi Circular Railways System were included in China Paksitan
Economic Corridor (CPEC). The work on Keti Bandar and KCR would start
soon, he said.
Besides, the work on different sections of the Motorway was
going on fast track and the Motorway from Peshawar to
Karachi by 2020. This strong linkage would help in bringing social-economic
revolution in the country, he said.
He also mentioned that PML-N government had given record
financial grants to the universities of all the provinces , without
any political consideration.
He said it was irony of the fact that the sensitive people of
the country mostly had been engaged in the politics of resistance.
He urged the old national political parties, having long
experiences of politics, to play their due role to save the democracy
from derailing and contribute in economic prosperity and development
of the country.
He said that 21st century was the century of economic
ideologies. That is why, he said, PML-N government led by the then
prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif highly welcomed CPEC and found it
the best opportunity for the country to get maximum share in the
economic globalization.
If South Asia , Central Asia and China become one economic
block, Pakistan would be its center, the Minister said.
Prof. Ahsan Iqbal said that as a progressive nation we would
have to develop our capacity by pursuing modern skills and
technologies to keep fast pace with the developed countries.
” I would request Sindhi intellectuals to focus on modern
education and skill development especially among the youth,” he said.
PML-N’s Acting Central Secretary General was critical that all
undemocratic governments in the past had damaged the country on
different counts. Now, 200 million people of the country would not
allow any conspiracy against the democracy. That, the present
government would complete its tenure on June 4, 2018 and next
government would come by democratic process.
Prof. Ahsan Iqbal congratulated Shah Muhammad Shah for
writing his auto-biography that would become a part of history.
He acknowledged that Shah was the man of principle and did
politics of ideology.
Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping and Chief of
Balochistan National Party Mir Hasel Khan Bizenjo urged that political
workers should write true account of their political struggle and main
political events of their life for the benefit of the new generation.
The author of the book Shah Muhammad Shah , responding to the
critics , admitted that there were certain shortcomings in his book.
But, he informed, two more volumes he was working on and would try to
include maximum information /details about the political struggle and
the socio-economic developments in the country and at the regional and
international levels over his life.
He said it was his duty to write this book which should had been
written earlier.
He underlined the need for greater dialogue among the political
parties for the better future of the country.
Other speakers included Chairman Sindh United Party Jalal
Mehmood Shah, Zahida Hina, Qamar Zamman Rajpar, Yousif Masti
Khan, Advocate Masood Noorani and Madad Ali Sindhi.